In the construction of buildings and homes, in general, it is often expedient, upon the addition of doors and windows, to use revolving hinges that allow for adjustment of the shared positions of the fixed or stationary frame and mobile frame (or leaf), especially with doors and windows that are relatively heavy or large in size. Specifically, this adjustment compensates for any bending of the door or window assembly, and/or enables proper operation, even in the case of orthogonal imperfections in the door or window relative to its respective horizontal plane.
Generally speaking, the hinge allows for three possible adjustments: two adjustments of the mutual positions of the hinge bodies, i.e., in two directions crosswise to the axis of the hinge pin, and one vertical adjustment of the mutual positions of the hinge bodies in the hinge axis direction. The crosswise adjustments include one in a substantially “lateral” direction parallel to the plane of the door or window, and one direction orthogonal to the plane, such adjustments allowing the correct pressure to be provided on the closure seal around the door or window.
Conventional hinges do not typically allow for independent crosswise adjustments. At most, the mutual positions of the hinge bodies can only be adjusted in both directions simultaneously, which limits the actual range of allowable adjustments.
One type of adjustable hinge comprises an upper hinge body and a lower hinge body connected to one another by a revolving hinge pin. The upper body has a housing for insertion of the revolving pin. Inserted between the pin and inside walls of the housing is a sleeve positioned off-center from the axis of the hinge pin. This sleeve is suitably narrower in dimensions than the housing so as to enable its insertion therein, while being in continuous contact with the walls of the housing, whatever position the sleeve occupies therein. The sleeve also has a base block at the top with a toothed lateral surface for engaging position reference points on the housing walls.
For crosswise adjustment of the position of the hinge bodies, the sleeve with the pin is first raised and rotated suitably by an amount corresponding to the translation desired by the user, given the eccentricity between the sleeve and the pin. The sleeve is then lowered such that the toothed surface engages the corresponding reference points on the housing. To lock the sleeve in position inside the housing, it is pushed forward forcefully so as to hold the base block against the corresponding housing reference points.
Although useful, such a hinge structure has not only been found complicated, but also, given that the position of the sleeve and, consequently, the pin is defined by the toothed surface, it does not allow for continuous crosswise adjustments.
Moreover, recovery of slack in the coupling between the sleeve and the housing has not been found particularly effective, such being left to the force exerted on the base block which is not entirely integral with the sleeve. Because slack can lead to faulty operation of the door or window and increase the risk of breakage, it is considered important that slack be avoided.
Another conventional hinge arrangement utilizes an upper hinge body including a housing for a sleeve integral with the head of a pin rotatably engaged inside the hinge. This sleeve is also positioned off-center from the pin axis and, in practical terms, operates as a cam in contact with the walls of the housing at four points spaced at 90° angles to one another, i.e., at the vertices of a cross. The sleeve-housing coupling is such that, once the sleeve is rotated (the pin being constrained from movement otherwise to the translation of the lower hinge body), the housing moves as a function of the eccentricity in the crosswise direction of adjustment. Once the adjustment has been made, the sleeve is pushed forward forcefully against the surface of the housing by a locking dowel. The thrusting action of the dowel coincides with a line passing through two points corresponding to opposite points of contact between the sleeve and the housing. Although this force enables the sleeve and, consequently, also the pin to be locked in position relative to the upper body of the hinge, it does not take up slack in the coupling between the housing and the sleeve. Indeed, slack is taken up in one direction only, i.e., that of the force applied, and not in a direction orthogonal thereto, making recovery in only one direction ineffective.